Stuck in a Blizzard
by Kagura-Of-The-West
Summary: AU Nanase is the new girl in town just as a blizzard hits. She meets Gaara and he ends up walking her home, being trapped there from the snow. They get to know eachother and slowly fall for one another, but what stands in the way? Gaara X OC
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, however, I do own Nanase and her family. Bwahahaha, their mine!

"Blah"-talking

_Blah_-Thoughts

**_Blah_**- Gaara's mind person thing.

Stuck in a Blizzard

Chapter One:

Panda-chan

-------------------------------

Small feet walked briskly along the snow-covered sidewalk, the white, knee-high socks that covered the legs, soaked with water. The girl the feet belonged to shivered and pulled the brown jacket of her uniform closer around her body. Her wine-colored, plaid skirt blew in the wind, high around her thighs. She groaned and narrowed her caramel-colored eyes, shielding them against the wind with her hand. She saw in the distance the figure of a girl clad in a similar uniform to hers, long, blond hair blew in the wind.

"About time you arrived, Nanase," the blond said impatiently, tapping her foot and narrowing her eyes.

Nanase smiled sheepishly, staring at her friend's pink cheeks. "Gomen, Ino," she replied, pulling her scarf up around her mouth. "Jeez, it's nippy out here."

"Yeah, and we're going to be late, which you can't afford one your first day," Ino replied, her blue eyes holding the other girl's gaze. She sighed impatiently and grabbed her friend's arm, pulling her up the steps and into the building. "Do you have your schedule?"

"Yuppers!" Nanase replied and began rummaging in her bag, pulling out a crumpled, rectangle with words typed on it. "Oh, wait, that's not it," she chuckled nervously and watched as Ino's face went from shocked to annoyed in a matter of seconds. "Now, now, Ino-chan," she began, raising her hands, "you wouldn't hurt you're best friend would you?" She watched as Ino's eyebrow twitch and turned in the opposite direction, running.

"Nanase! You get back here!" Ino hollered and chased after her, growling.

"You sound like a deranged animal!" Nanase hollered back at her while laughing, knocking people over as she ran. She looked back to see that Ino was no where in sight as the bell rang, turning around just in time to collide into someone. They tumbled down the stairs behind them, ending up with him on top of her at the bottom of the stairs, their books strewn all over. She looked down to see his face lying in the crevice between her breasts and her legs propped up on either side of them.

"Fuck," he mumbled, causing her to laugh at the slightly tickling sensation. He lifted his head and stared at her with turquoise eyes in a heated glare. "What, pray tell, the hell is so funny?"

She blushed as she examined his face, his sharp features, pale skin, turquoise eyes with black bags around them, and flaming red hair. "U-uhm, uh, w-when you t-t-talked it t-tickled," she stuttered as a blush spread across her cheeks. She grinned as he lifted his body from in between her legs and stood, dusting his black, boys' uniform off. She took in his appearance, the untucked, white undershirt, unbuttoned, black jacket and baggy, black pants.

"Nice pandas," he said in a hard voice, his glare still on her.

"Pandas...?" she said then flushed a tomato red, jumping up and pulling her skirt down. "Perv," she muttered and began to collect her books and placed them back in her book bag, pouting. "Staring at girls' underwear."

"I'm not a perv and they were showing, hard to ignore pink panties with little pandas on them," he replied, doing the same. (AN: I gots panties like that only they have Happy Bunny on them. LOL.)

She growled and looked towards him, taking in his appearance again. "You know," she started, standing, "you sorta look like a panda with those black bags under your eyes and that uniform."

His eyebrow twitched. "No. I. Don't."

She giggled. "I'll call you 'Panda-chan', okay?" she said and placed her book bag on her shoulder. "See ya, Panda-chan!" she said as she walked away, shoving her hands into her pockets, pulling out a balled up piece of paper. "Here's my schedule."

------------------------------

Nanase sighed as she stared down at her bento box, scowling at the disgusting looking rice balls. _Jeez, mom, learn how to friggin' cook_, she thought and pushed it away, resting her head on her arms. She heard someone tinkle the bells on her pigtail holders, looking up and seeing Ino smiling down at her. "Hey, Ino-chan," she said as the blond sat down across from her.

"How's your first day been?" she asked and opened her bento box, delicious aromas flooding her nostrils.

"It's okay except for the fact that I have a perverted English teacher who lifted my skirt with a yard stick," she replied as her mouth watered. "Hey, can I have a rice ball?"

"Sure, here," Ino replied and handed her the perfect riceball, smiling as she devoured it. "You must have Kakashi-sensei for English, I have him next period."

"I should sue him," she muttered as she ate the riceball. "He's lucky he's so damn cute."

"He is, isn't he?" she replied.

"Durr, I just said that," Nanase said, sticking her tongue out of the corner of her mouth and cross her eyes. "What are you? Dee dee dee?" (AN: I couldn't resist, Carlos Mencia is just hilarious!)

"I was just agreeing with you, you idiot!" Ino yelled, her eyebrows furrowing in anger.

Nanase laughed. "I love ticking you off."

Ino gave a shriek and stomped her foot.

"Oh, yeah, you're mature."

"Shut the hell up!"

"Make me!"

"God, I friggin' hate you!"

"Ooh, God's gonna send you to hell."

"Shut the hell up!"

"Nana nana boo boo!"

"Retard!"

"Idiot!"

"Moronic loser!"

"Selfish bitch!"

"Argh!"

Nanase grinned. "I win!"

"Whatever," Ino mumbled and began drinking her juice through a straw.

Nanase gasped.

"What?" Ino asked, her eyes wide.

"It's Panda-chan!"

The familiar cold eyes turned towards her, the eyebrow twitching again.

"Hi, Panda-chan, come sit with me!"

The boy walked away calmly and out of the cafeteria.

"Bastard, no one ignores Nanase Iwamura!" she replied and stood, stomping outside and to the tree he was resting in. "Oi!" she yelled up at him while placing her hands on her hips, glaring at his relaxed figure. "Panda-chan!" she yelled while picking up her book bag and rummaging through it, pulling out a book. "If you don't answer me I'll throw this book at you," she threatened but only received silence. "Fine."

"Fuck!" he yelled when the book collided with the side of his head. "Bitch!"

Nanase grinned, screaming when he threw it back at her. "You asshole!" she yelled and glared up at him, getting a smirk in reply. "Fine," she said and jumped up, grabbing onto a branch and pulling herself up. She got into a sitting position and stared at him with her chin in her palms, her eyes narrowed. "Why are you out in the frickin' cold?"

"Why are you?" he asked in reply, glaring at her over his magazine.

"Are you looking at a trashy porno mag?" she asked with a grin.

"Does it look like one?" he asked with a 'are you dumb?' look.

"Nope, but you could be hiding in under another one," she replied and leaned over the top, looking down. She grinned when she saw it was only a cheat code book, her eyes widened when they rose to his face. _Damn! He's cute_, she thought, losing her grip on the snow covered branch and falling against his chest.

"What? Am I a magnet to idiots?" he asked while looking at the sky.

"I am not an idiot!" she yelled and glared up at him as he looked down at her, her breath hitching in her throat. They were only a few centimeters away from each other, their lips barely touching. She gulped as a blush spread across her cheeks, deepening when one slipped onto his as well.

"W-well you gonna get off me or what?" he asked.

"O-oh, s-sorry," she replied and pushed herself off of him. She rubbed her arm, nervously, and looked at the ground while biting her lip. "You know what, Panda-chan, I'll see you later," she said and slipped down from the tree. She landed on the ground and picked up her book bag, brushing snow off of it and smiling up at him. "Bye, Panda-chan."

"Yeah, whatever."

------------------------------------

She stood outside of the school, clutching her white cell phone in her hand as her knees knocked together. _Fuck it's cold_, she thought as she rubbed her arms and pushed her legs closer together. "Crap, dad, when are you ever late?" she asked herself just before her phone rang.

"Hey sweetie," her father's voice said once she picked up.

"Daddy?"

"Yeah, I won't be able to make it today, I'm held up at the office," he said. "See if Ino or another one of your friends can give you a ride.

She inwardly sighed. "'Kay, dad," she replied with a frown. "See you."

"Bye, sweetie."

She flipped the phone closed and growled, playing with the tiny, purple teddy bear hanging on a string from it, a little gold bell on the side. "What friends?" she asked no one. "I just got here, I'm supposed have friends to give me a ride home and dad knows Ino takes the bus."

"Talking to yourself?"

She turned around to see the boy from earlier. "Hey, Panda-chan," she grinned and gave him a small wave. "Just ranting."

"You have a ride dilemma?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied and looked to the ground. "My dad always bails on me because of work, he's _so_ busy. But what do you care?"

_True, what do I care_, he thought.

_**You want to help her, don't you, snicker **Panda-chan_

_Shut up._

_**Oh come on, Panda-chan, help her. She's a cutie, especially with those cute pigtails. You know you want to.**_

He growled.

"What's wrong?" she asked, staring at him with her large eyes.

"I walk so I'll walk you home first." _Damn it, there my mouth goes talking without me._

_**Oh, you wanted to.**_

She gasped. "Really?" she asked with a smile. "Oh, thank you, Panda-chan!"

He gave a slight 'omph' when she threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly, laughing. "Yeah, yeah, get off me."

She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, Panda-chan," she replied and linked her arm with his, walking down the sidewalk. "So what is your real name?"

"Gaara."

"Oh, nice, mine's Nanase," she replied and grinned up at him. "You know, Gaara-kun, I like your hair color. I think I'll put red streaks in my hair tonight, I've been thinking about a color."

Gaara looked down at her. "You're odd."

"And you're not?" she replied with a tiny smile. "You know, Gaara-kun, I've had fun teasing you today."

"Hn."

"I guess we're kind of friends now, aren't we?" she asked with another large grin.

Gaara found her smiling contagious and let out a small smile of his own. "Yeah, I guess," he replied and tugged gently on her long, black, pigtail, listening to the bell tinkle.

She pouted then grinned. "I only had Ino as a friend and she just changes moods so fast, it's ridiculous," she said. "Now, I gots you, who's kind of quiet and calls me names, but I still like you."

Gaara gave a tiny smile. _What the hell is this girl doing to me?_

_**Yeah, Gaara**_-kun**_, you happy?_**

_Shut the hell up!_

_**You realize you're talking to yourself, right?**_

_Argh! I fucking hate you!_

_**You hate yourself?**_

_Yes, you bastard!_

"Gaara-kun?"

"Huh? What?" he asked.

"You hungry, you're stomach keeps growling," she replied with a smile. "I know this great ramen shop near my house, I went there all weekend!"

"Sure, why not?" he asked, slightly disgruntled.

She slipped her hands out of her pocket and wrapped them around his arm, hugging it to her chest. "Yay, I gets to spend time with Panda-chan," she said with a grin and pulled him in the direction of the ramen shop. "I went there because my mom can't cook at all!"

"My sister cooks at my house," he replied as they walked down the sidewalk.

"Really? How old is she?" she asked.

"She's the oldest, twenty-two and my brother is nineteen," he said.

"What about parents?" she asked.

"My mother isn't around and my dad is on business all the time," he replied, pulling his jacket up with his unoccupied hand.

"Oh, my older brother can't cook a lick and my younger sister is a pain in the ass," she said. "I normally cook, I'm the only one who can without either burning the house down or making something that's still alive."

He laughed softly and shook his head. "You are retarded."

She pouted. "Not uh!"

"Yeah, whatever."

She grinned. "I like hanging out with you, Gaara-kun."

**_Aw, how cute._**

_Shut the hell up, fucker._

_**Ouch!**_

"Yeah, I guess." _I have to get away from this chick before she makes me all soft._

_**Oh, she's not making you soft chuckle she's making you the complete opposite.**_

Gaara colored. _Shut the fuck up!_

_-----------------------------------------_

How was that? Tell me what you think, oh, and sorry about Gaara being OOC. I'm not that good with his moods. I figured he'd be a little more social in this because it's an AU and none of that other stuff happened. So, yeah, here it is.


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I only own Nanase and her family.

"Blah" - talking

_Blah _- thinking

**_Blah _**- Gaara's mind person

Stuck in a Blizzard

Chapter Two:

A Long Night

---------------------------------

Nanase looked over to Gaara, they had just left the ramen shop and were heading to her house. She gave off a squeal when a harsh gust of wind blew their hair and clothes around, covering them in snow. "Damn, it's cold," she mumbled into his arm, her eyes closed tight. "We need to hurry to my house."

"Is it close?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said and started off in a run, him at her heels. She pumped her legs as fast as they could go without leaving him behind and stopped when she was on her porch. "Look how high this snow is!" she said pointing down at the snow that covered her porch steps. "The friggin' steps are gone."

"Let's get in, I'm cold!" he said.

"Sorry," she mumbled and opened the door with her key, locking it when he stepped in. "Welcome to my abode," she said as she slipped off her shoes and socks, placing her scarf and jacket on the hook.

"Nice," he murmured and did the same, following her into the kitchen. "What're you doing?"

"Making hot cocoa, duh!" she said and turned the eye of the stove on, walking over to the sink. She grinned at him as she filled the tea kettle with water and placed it on the eye, walking over and sitting in one of the wooden chairs.

He sat next to her and stared out of the window across from them, drowning himself in his thoughts. After a while, the whistle of the tea kettle brought them out of their reverie and back to the present. He watched as she went over to the tea kettle and poured hot water into to large mugs, placing two spoonfuls of the powder into each.

"I don't know about you, but I like milk in mine," she said as she poured a little milk in hers. She brought the cups over with the spoons still in them after she stirred the powder in, placing the blue mug in front of him. She blew softly on her cocoa, looking at him out of the corner of her eyes. "You should call your sister and let her know you're here."

"Yeah, where's your phone?" he asked, watching as she pointed to the phone hanging on the wall near the cabinets. He picked up the phone and dialed his home number, waiting until his sister picked up.

"Temari," he said.

"Oh, hey, Gaara," the voice replied. "Where are you?"

"I'm over a friends house, I'll probably be staying her since the storm is really bad," he said. "I'll be home as soon as it's over so tell that idiot brother of mine to stay out of my room."

She laughed. "I will," she said. "Be careful."

"Alright, bye," he replied and hung up the phone, placing it back on the receiver.

"Temari is a pretty name," Nanase said.

"I guess," he replied and sat down, taking a sip of his hot cocoa. "This is pretty good."

"I make the best," she said smugly. "Just joking."

He smirked at her and took another sip. "Where's your family?"

"My sister is probably with my mom and my brother went to France for a month," she replied and placed her chin in her palm. They both turned towards the door when it opened and voices could be heard as well as the door closing.

"Mommy, it was really cold," a young voice said.

"Yes, Sachi-chan, it was," an older voice said.

The two girls walked into the kitchen and stopped when they saw Gaara sitting next to Nanase.

"Hello," the older woman said, pushing a strand of chin-length, black hair behind her ear, a red smile on her lips. "Who are you?"

"Mom, this is my friend Gaara," Nanase said. "He walked me home but the storm was bad so I invited him, is that okay?"

"Oh, of course, I wouldn't want this young man in the storm all alone," she replied. "Hi Gaara-kun, I'm Nanase's mother, Chiharu."

"And I'm Sachi!" the little girl next to Chiharu said, brightly.

"Um, hi," Gaara replied, trying to as respectful as possible. _God damnit, she's changed me already, since when have I cared about being respectful?_

_**Ooh, are we getting a crush?**_

_Shut the hell up! How many times do I have to tell you?_

_**More than what you have.**_

Gaara sighed and took another sip of his hot cocoa, his temples aching from yelling in his head. He turned to see Nanase smiling at him, watching as she stood and motioned for him to do the same. She led him up the stairs and to a white door, pushing it open and letting him step in.

"This is where you'll stay for the storm," she said and turned to the door across the hall. "That's my room."

He nodded and sat on the neat bed.

"You find anything in here, don't tell me," she said with a grin. "I'll probably laugh my ass off."

He shook his head.

"Oh and the sheets have been changed," she said. "If you need to see me during the night, I'm down stairs."

He quirked an eyebrow.

"I don't like to sleep in my room, so I sleep on the big couch in the living room," she said, still smiling. "Let's go in the living room and see if we can watch T.V."

He nodded and followed her into the living room, where they began watching a movie called 'The Day After Tomorrow'.

"Damn, I hope that doesn't happen here," she said, pulling the blanket around her closer.

"It won't," he said and crossed his arms over his chest.

"How the hell do you know?" she asked with a skeptical look.

"I know everything."

She burst out laughing.

Gaara found himself enjoying the sound, letting out a small chuckle himself. _I can't help but like being around her_, he thought, watching as she calmed down and looked at him.

"You are hilarious," she said, pulling her legs underneath her and leaning her back against his arm. She laid her head against the cushion of the couch and bit her lip as his warmth radiated onto her. _He's so warm_, she thought while turning the channel, _I like being around him_.

"Nanase?" he said.

"Yes?"

"Promise me you'll never call me 'Panda-chan' again," he said.

She looked at him quizzically. "I don't know where that came from and I can't promise that," she said, pouting when he gave her a look. "Fine."

"Good," he said while smirking as she crossed her arms over her chest and began sulking.

"Gaara?"

"What?" he asked and turned his eyes towards her.

"I like to call you Panda-chan," she whined.

He sighed. "Fine, go ahead and call me 'Panda-chan'."

"Yay!" she yelled and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "Sorry, I'm a touchy-feely kinda girl."

"I noticed," he said and resumed looking at the T.V. _I have to get out of this damn house or away from this girl._

_**Why, Panda-chan?**_

_Not you again._

_**Yup yup.**_

_I hate myself._

_**You're definitely crazy.**_

_Because of you, making me talk to myself._

_**Hey, hey! You do this shit on your own free will, not me.**_

_We're the same person so YEAH you do._

_**Oh, right, I forgot that minor detail.**_

_Minor! Are you retarded?_

_**Depends, are you?**_

_I'm going to stop talking to you, you evil bastard._

_**Stop talking about yourself.**_

Gaara growled, startling Nanase.

She grinned seductively. "That's kind of hot," she said and laughed. "Do it again!"

"You are definitely retarded," he said.

She gasped. "I'm not talking to you anymore," she said and crossed her arms over her chest again, another pout on her lips. She glared at the T.V. screen as he flipped through the channels, stopping on 'Hostel'. She scrunched up her nose and reached for the remote, growling when he pulled it out of her grasp. "Gimme!"

"My turn," he said simply and slid the remote in his pants.

"You think I won't go after it?" she asked with a skeptical look on her face, her hands reaching for the top of his pants. "You don't know me," she said and struggled to reach in his pants as he struggled to get away. "The remote will be mine!" she yelled and moved her hand around as he tried to pull her arm out. She latched onto something and gave a victory yell, smiling at him. "Oh, wait, sorry," she said and let go when his eyes went wide. "Not the remote, huh?"

"Ya think!" he yelled, frantically trying to pull her hand out.

"My bad, not my fault the remote is as big as your, well you know what that is," she said as a blush stained her cheeks. "Hey the remote is pretty big, so you must be packin'."

A light blush flitted across his cheeks. "Get your hand out of my pants!" he yelled.

"Shut the hell up, you want my mom to come down here," she whispered viciously.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I'll call her right now," he said.

"No!" she yelled and pulled her hand out of his pants. "You're no fun at all, you know that right?"

He shrugged and pulled the remote out, changing the channel again as the room settled into silence. He sat back after he left it on 'Fear Factor', resting his arms by his side and clutching the remote with a death grip. He ignored Nanase's frequent sighs and shifting around, his attention focused on someone eating a cow brain.

"Ew," Nanase squealed, covering her face. "That is so disgusting!"

Gaara continued to ignore her, his lips thinning into a straight line. He let his thoughts wander onto the girl sitting next to him. He had just met her and already he was acting strange, it made no sense to him. He didn't even like her, she was annoying and did stupid things, yet he had told her he was her friend. He had no friends, he wanted no friends and yet he told a complete stranger they were friends. _Why did I have to offer to walk her home_, he asked himself, berating himself for his stupidity.

**_That's what happens when you let someone in._**

_Ignoring the bastard in my mind. Ignoring the bastard in my mind._

_**Gasp I am appalled. You, sir, are a complete jackass especially for ignoring the sexy girl next to you. Stupid! You could be boning her right now istead of watching people eat penis'! What the hell is wrong with you?**_

_You!_

_**What?**_

Gaara sighed and began to rub his temples, making a mental note to never talk to himself again. He laid his head back on the couch, turning his eyes to Nanase when she stood up. "What're you doing?" he asked as she began to walk to the stairs.

"I'll be right back," she said and ran up the stairs.

"Great," he said and resumed rubbing his temples, listening to her shuffling around above him. He heard her come down the stairs, dressed in lime-green, checkered pajama pants and a white camisole that showed a little of her belly. She threw a pair of gray sweat pants at him and a big, baggy shirt.

"Here you go, some pajamas," she said and fell on the couch, placing her slipper clad feet on the coffee table in front of them.

"What the..." he said while staring at her pink slippers that had a smiling bunny, pointing to it's butt. (AN: I got those too!)

"It's Happy Bunny, dur!" she said and grinned.

"Weird."

She squealed when the power went out, latching onto his arm and burying her face into his chest. "Panda-chan, I'm afraid of the dark," she whined, tears leaking from her eyes. "I was watching this creepy movie yesterday and I'm scared of the dark now!"

"Are you serious?" he asked, staring down at her.

"Do you here that?" she asked, pushing herself closer to him. "That sliding across the floor."

"There is no sliding across the floor," he said.

"Yes, there is!" she yelled and climbed into his lap, wrapping her arms around his chest and burying her face into the crook of his neck. He tried to push her off which only resulted in her tightening her grip. "No, Panda-chan, no!"

"Oh, brother, this is going to be a long night," he replied.

-------------------------------

That end scene happened to me only instead of a smexy guy it was my teddy bear and I was saying "No, teddy, no!" lol. Tell me what ya think!


	3. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I only own Nanase and her family.

"Blah" - talking

_Blah_ - thinking

**_Blah_** - Gaara's mind person

Stuck in a Blizzard

Chapter Three:

I Spy

-------------------------------

Gaara sighed as he rested his head on the door, listening to the toilet flush behind him. He turned when a hand was placed on his shoulder and, faintly, saw Nanase smiling at him. "I can't believe, I let you drag me into the bathroom with you because you're afraid," he said. "What are you? Six?"

"No, I'm sixteen," she said and opened the door, pushing him out. "Is there anything out there?"

"No, come on," he said and grabbed her arm, pulling her down the stairs and launching her onto the couch.

"You know, you're kind of rough," she said. "You're going to be a woman beater, aren't you?"

Gaara groaned and sat down, staring at the wall in the darkness as she wrapped herself onto his arm again. He closed his eyes and leant his head back, trying to ignore the whimpering sounds she was making. "Damn it, go to sleep, Nanase!" he yelled, causing her to squeal and look up at him.

"Fine you big jerk!" she yelled back and laid down on the couch, pulling the cover over her head.

Gaara closed his eyes and slowly began to drift off to sleep.

"Gaara?"

He grunted.

"You sleep?"

He sighed. "No."

"Okay."

Ten minutes later. "Gaara?"

"What?"

"You sleep yet?"

"No."

"Me neither."

"Shut up then."

"'Kay."

Gaara had finally dozed off when an abrupt shaking of his arm woke him up, startling him. "What?" he asked and turned to the crying girl next to him, his hard gaze softening. "What's wrong, Nanase?"

"I swear I heard something," she whispered, her lips trembling. "I swear I heard someone talking."

"It was probably just your mom," he rationalized.

"I heard a man."

"It was probably me then," he replied.

"Panda-chan, I'm scared," she whispered softly, sniffling.

He sighed and opened his arms to her. "Come on," he said, waiting as she nestled in his arms, covering them with the blanket. "Maybe now we both can get some sleep."

"Yeah, you need it," she giggled. "Those bags under your eyes are so dark."

"Just shut up."

---------------------------------

Gaara's eyes fluttered open and he looked down at the girl that slept peacefully in his arms, tears still visible on her face. She looked so innocent like that, her mouth slightly opening and her thumb touching her bottom lip. He smiled softly, running his fingers through her soft, black hair and closing his eyes again.

"Panda-chan..." she murmured.

He looked down at her as a tiny smile formed on her lips. "Just shut up," he mumbled softly and stared up at the ceiling. He listened to the howling winds outside, frowning when he realized the blizzard was still going on. _Damn, this thing is never going to end_, he thought.

**_At least you get to spend more time with her._**

_Oh and you care, you just want some action._

_**Yup yup, I want to see those pretty titties. You want to just check out her face as she's sleeping, but I was looking down her shirt at those C cups.**_

_You're filthy._

_**Oh, please. We're horny.**_

_You're horny._

_**No, we are. You haven't gotten any since that one time after detention.**_

_That was only a few weeks ago._

_**I need more!**_

_Shut the hell up. I'm not going to fuck her._

_**Pussy.**_

Gaara opened his eyes when he heard someone coming down the stairs and peering over the railing. He watched as Sachi's curious look turned devious as she pushed herself over the railing and fell on them. He grunted as Nanase shrieked and Sachi laughed while bouncing on them.

"Nanase and Gaara laying on the couch K-I-S-S-I-N-G," she said while laughing.

"Get off us, you little freak!" Nanase yelled and glared at the little girl.

"You're the freak, freak!" Sachi yelled back.

"Mom! Get your daughter!" Nanase screeched.

Chiharu came into the living fully dressed, with an apron around her waist. "Sorry, dear, she's your problem," she said with a smile. "I'm trying to make breakfast, okay?"

Gaara blinked, he hadn't even heard the woman in the kitchen.

"Nana nana boo boo," Sachi taunted and jumped off of Nanase before she could grab her. "You can't catch me!"

"I'm going to kill you!" she yelled and chased the little girl around the living room and up the stairs.

Gaara shrugged and walked into the kitchen with bare feet, running his hands through his ruffled hair. He sat at the table and watched Chiharu bustle around the kitchen, preparing the breakfast.

"You sleep well, Gaara?" she asked and gave him a sly look. "You two looked cozy."

"She wouldn't shut up last night," he said with a small smile. "She was scared when the power went out."

"Yeah, that startled me to," she replied. "I was reading and it just cut off, so I went to bed."

"I had to do what I could to make her shut up," he said. "But eventually, she went to sleep."

"That's Nanase for you," Chiharu grinned. "She loves comfort."

Gaara didn't reply, instead looked out of the window at the snow blowing around. "You think this blizzard will last long?" he asked, wondering when he would get home.

"Probably a day or two more of snow then we have to be shoveled out and it'll be over," she said and set a plate of what looked like eggs and bacon in front of him. "Here's some toast. You want jam?"

"No, I'm okay, thanks," he replied and began eating the eggs, hearing Sachi and Nanase running down the stairs.

"Mom, Sachi, broke my favorite necklace!" Nanase yelled.

"Not uh, she wouldn't let me look at it and pulled it from me so it broke," Sachi said in defense, sticking her tongue out at her older sister.

"Argh, you are such a nuisance," she said and slumped into the chair next to Gaara.

"Shut up and talk to your boyfriend!" Sachi yelled.

"I'm going to kill you!" Nanase yelled.

"Not at the table!" Chiharu yelled and placed plates of food in front of them. "Now be quiet and eat."

"Itadakimasu!" Sachi yelled.

"Itadakimasu," Nanase said with a frown, placing som eggs in her mouth and taking a bite of her toast. "I look a mess," she said after she swallowed the food, running her hands through her hair. "Mom, I need a haircut. I have split ends!"

"Oh, be quiet and eat," Chiharu said and began eating her food.

Nanase pouted and shoved some toast in her mouth.

Gaara chuckled softly.

"Shut up!" Nanase yelled. "It's not funny!"

"Yeah, it is, weirdo!" Sachi yelled.

"Not at the table!" Chiharu yelled, before taking a sip of her orange juice. "Don't make me tell you again."

Gaara looked around at the women with a small smile. _Chicks, I'll never understand them, young or old_, he thought and shook his head. "Thanks for the food, Chiharu-san," he said and pushed away from the table. "May I use your shower?"

"Sure, I assume you know where the bathroom is?" she replied.

"Yeah, I do," he said and walked up the stairs and into the bathroom. He disrobed and stepped into the shower, turning the hot water on. He lathered his body with soap and washed away the fatigue from his body. He stretched his arms when he finished his shower, wrapping a towel around his waist. He heard a knock on the door and opened it, seeing a pair of clothes on the ground and picked them up. He dressed himself in the boxers, the large jeans and the black, long-sleeved shirt.

"Hey, Panda-chan!" Nanase called from down the hall when he stepped out of the bathroom, watching as she disappeared into her room.

---------------------------------

Nanase opened her dresser drawers and pulled a pair of black jeans, a white t-shirt, and a large, gray sweatshirt. She walked into the bathroom and stepped into the shower after disrobing, she showered for about twenty minutes before getting out. She dressed in her clothes and walked down the stairs, raking her fingers through tangled and wet hair.

"Loser!" Sachi said when she ran past her, up the stairs.

"Brat," Nanase mumbled under her breath and walked into the living room, falling onto the couch where Gaara was watching T.V. "Yo, Panda-chan."

"Hn."

"You had a nice shower?"

"Hn."

"Watching something cool?"

"Hn."

"Going to say something different."

"Hn."

"Fine, I get it, I'll leave you alone," she said and pulled her feet up into the chair, playing with her white socks. "Panda-chan, talk to me!"

He sighed. "What?"

"How you feeling today?" she asked with a smile.

"Slight headache," he replied.

"Um, you bored?"

"A little."

"Want to, um, hmm, play a game?" she asked.

"What kind?"

"I spy!"

He sighed. "Fine."

"I spy with my little eye something," she began and looked around the room, "blue!"

"The clock," he replied.

"Who'd you know?"

"You stared at it for like five minutes," he replied.

"You're turn!"

He sighed. "I spy something black."

"Um, my pants?" she asked.

"Nope."

"Your shirt?"

"No."

"The T.V.?"

"No."

"The VCR?"

"No."

"I don't know, what?"

He smirked. "The remote," he replied and held it up.

"Man!"

-----------------------------------

Cute little game of "I Spy", dontcha think?


	4. Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I only own Nanase and her family.

"Blah" - talking

_Blah_ - thinking

**_Blah _**- Gaara's mind person

Stuck in a Blizzard

Chapter Four:

A Fight at the Ramen Shop

------------------------------------------

Nanase stood in front of the bathroom mirror, braiding her long, black hair. It had been six days since the blizzard had first started and it stopped snowing. They would be stuck in their house for a few more days until the snow melted a little and they could be ploughed out. She didn't really mind though, that just meant more time to spend with Gaara. They had spent that time getting to know each other more and playing stupid games, but she couldn't be happier. She had to admit she was growing a crush on the boy.

"Going to stand there all day?" the said boy asked.

"Evening, Panda-chan," she said while tying the end of her braid with a blue ribbon. She smiled at him and pulled him out of the bathroom, into the hallway. "What's on the schedule for today?"

"Annoying your mom, tickling your sister until she pees herself or hanging out in your room," he replied, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Difficult choices," she said while rubbing her chin. "Come on, let's go to my room."

They walked into her room and sat on the beige carpet, staring at each other.

"What now?" he asked.

"Ooh!" she said and dug under her bed, pulling out a Polaroid camera and grinning at him. "I have pictures of all my friends but you."

He groaned as she laid against him and took their picture, catching it when it fell to the ground. She began to shake it and stared at the picture, looking at her smiling face then his scowling face. "I want a better one," she said and laid against him again, this time making him smile and retaking the picture. She stood and sat in the fold-out chair at her desk, pulling out a violet book opening it.

"What's that?" he asked looking over her shoulder.

"A scrapbook," she said and taped the two pictures down, scribbling something down next to them and grinning at him. She closed the book and slid it back into the door, closing the drawer and standing. "What now?"

"Dunno," he replied and sat on her bed.

She giggled before launching herself on him and rolling them into the wall, ending up with her squished against the wall. She stopped laughing when she realized how close their faces were, biting her lip. "I've never been this close with a guy before," she admitted, looking away with a blush on her cheeks.

Gaara couldn't stop his hand from cupping her cheek and forcing her to look at him. "Does it bother you?" he spoke huskily, his eyes staring into hers.

"N-no," she said as her eyes darted down to his lips. "I-I want you t-to kiss m-me."

"I want to kiss you," he whispered.

"I might be bad at it," she said.

He closed the gap between them and pulled her body on top of his, rubbing his hands along her spine. She moaned into the kiss and pulled them up into a sitting position, her legs straddling his waist. He hands traveled under her shirt and snapped her bra against her skin lightly causing her to arch into him as her hands tangled in his hair.

"Hey, honey," her mother said while opening the door.

Nanase broke away from Gaara and turned to look at her mom with a shocked expression. "Um, mom, I, um," she tried and climbed off of him, twisting her fingers about.

"Honey, you're sixteen and you've been stuck in this house with a boy for six days," she began, "you think I didn't expect something like this to occur, I was a teenager once you know. I was just hoping you were using protection."

"Mom, I'm so embarrassed," she said. "We weren't doing that!"

"It looked like thats where that was going," she replied. "I'd prefer you not having sex until you're married but if you're going to do it at all at least be prepared."

"Mom, that was my first kiss and I'm sixteen, I'm not ready for sex yet," she explained, the blush on her cheeks growing.

"Just in case," her mom said and pulled three condoms from her pocket and placing them on the dresser next to the door. "Be prepared."

Nanase watched her mom leave the room with a shocked expression. "My mom is so weird!"

Gaara smirked. "At least she's giving you protection, right?" he said with a grin. "Now, where were we?"

She blushed as he pulled her onto his lap, pulling her mouth down to his.

----------------------------

Gaara stood in the shower, closing his eyes as the water fell down his body. He sighed as he remembered how he and Nanase had made out earlier. He couldn't believe he let himself lose control and just do that to her. She probably wanted to be his girlfriend now, he didn't know if he was ready for that. _Damn, this sucks_, he thought.

**_Yes it does, you could've done her and had her moms premisson, you idiot!_**

_Shut up._

_**Is that all you're ever going to say to me?**_

_Yep._

_**Asshole.**_

_Tell me 'bout it._

_**I really am annoying. Just listening to you makes me realize that.**_

Gaara turned the water off and stepped out of the shower, drying himself off and dressing in his pajamas. He walked into Nanase's room where she was combing through her wet hair and sat on her bed. "You took a shower?"

"Yep, used my mom's," she said and braided her hair again. "Enjoy yours?"

"Yeah, I guess," he replied.

"Gaara, about earlier," she began. "I understand you were caught up in the moment."

He blinked, she did.

"It's okay," she said. "You don't have to worry about me being clingy or thinking that you're my boyfriend. It was my first kiss and I'm glad it was with you, but I understand if you don't want to be with me."

He blinked again.

She smiled at him. "So don't stress about it, 'kay?"

He nodded.

She tied her hair with a black scrunchie and stood, brushing her white t-shirt off. "So, you wanna see if we can watch T.V.?"

He got it now, she was trying to hide the fact that he didn't want to be with her hurt. He felt guilty because he did like her, he just wasn't sure that he wanted a girlfriend at the moment. He nodded and stood, telling her how he felt would only confuse her and he didn't want to cause her any more trouble.

"I think some Christmas movies are on," she said as they walked down the stairs. "I really hope 'A Christmas Carol' is on, that's my favorite."

He smiled.

"You want some eggnog?" she asked and looked back at him.

"No."

She nodded and disappeared into the kitchen returning with her own cup of eggnog, sitting beside him on the couch. "Yay!" she said when she found 'A Christmas Carol' on ABC, sipping from her cup of eggnog.

Gaara looked at her with pained eyes. He was thinking about how it would be if he went out with her, what it would be like. He was thinking about how he held her in his arms the first night and how it felt to kiss her. He thought about her smell and the certain things she did, about her smile and her hair. He thought about everything that made up her, how he couldn't find one thing he didn't like about her. He was even beginning to like when she called him 'Panda-chan' and that worried him. After a little more thought, he realized he was falling in love with her and fast.

"That mean old Scrooge!" she said with a laugh.

He exhaled and turned towards her. "Nanase?"

She turned her caramel-colored eyes on him. "Yes?"

"Nevermind," he said, shaking his head and turned back towards the T.V.

Now it was her turn to blink. "Gaara, are you trying to...to ask me something?" she asked.

He shook his head.

She frowned slightly and turned back to the T.V., dissapointed. She had hoped he would tell her that he felt the same towards her, but that was probably just a fairytale.

He inwardly smacked himself, he had the perfect chance to tell her and yet he froze up. Something was just telling him not to, maybe the less rational part, but whatever part it was, he listened.

---------------------------------

A few days later, the snow melted considerably and the streets and pathways had been cleared. Nanase was struggling to pull her jeans on, she gave a frustrated yell. "I gained weight!" she yelled, staring at her slim stomach in the mirror. She buttoned her jeans and pulled her long-sleeved, green shirt on. After putting her shoes on, she ran downstairs and saw Gaara waiting for her at the door.

"Ready?" he asked, placing his hands in his black coat.

"Yep," she said and pulled her suede coat on along with her scarf and mittens. "Let's go!"

"Alright," he said and opened the door.

"Mom, we'll be back later!" she called into the kitchen and walked out of the door with him. She linked her arm around his as they walked to the ramen shop and smiled up at him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Isn't it great to get out of the house?" she asked. "Plus, we don't have to go back to school for a few more days!"

"Yeah," he replied.

She stared at the sidewalk. "Do you care if people see us together?" she asked.

"No."

"Okay."

"Why'd you ask that?" he asked.

"Because at the ramen shop, there'll be a lot of people from our school and they might get the wrong idea about us," she said. She had been that way ever since the night a few days ago, making sure no one got the wrong idea.

"So?"

"As long as you don't care," she said as they turned the corner.

"It doeesn't matter to me what people think," he said. "Does it to you?"

"No," she said. "I'm just getting some ramen with Panda-chan."

He shook his head. "Don't call me that in there," he said with a small smile. "I do have a reputation."

"Okay, Mr. Badass," she said as he held the door open for her, she giggled as she walked in. She linked her arm with his again and they walked to a booth, sitting down and looking around at the people from their school. "I didn't think their was going to be this many."

He shrugged.

"Oi, looky here guys," a voice said. "It's badass Gaara with his _girlfriend_!"

"I'm not his girlfriend," Nanase said.

"What do you want, Naruto?" Gaara asked, glaring at him. "Another ass-kicking."

"Yeah, whatever," Naruto replied. "Be cool around your chick."

Nanase growled. "I'm not his chick!"

"Shut-up," Gaara said while looking at Naruto.

"Ooh, nice one, Gaara," a brown-haired boy with tattooed, red triangles on his face said. "Got nothing else to say?"

"Fuck off," he replied, eating his ramen.

"Hey, your chick is pretty cute, when you're done with her," the boy said, reaching towards her, "gimme her number."

Gaara grabbed his other wrist and squeezed it, staring murderously at the table. "Don't. Touch. Her."

Nanase watched the scene with wide eyes.

"Protective, eh?"

"More like possessive," a boy with sunglasses said.

"Don't forget that," Gaara said viciously and stood, pulled the other guy close. "So don't fuck with _my_ girl!"

"All right, man, I got," he said.

Gaara let go of his hand and sat back done. "What?" he asked when they hadn't left yet, his turquoise eyes glaring at Naruto.

"Just thinking how a weirdo like you could get a babe like that," he said.

Gaara growled but a loud smack was heard before he could stand. "Whoa."

Nanase glared at the blond who held his cheek.

"What the hell was that for, ya bitch!"

She pulled her arm back and threw, full-force, into his face with a sneer on. "Don't insult me or Gaara ever again!" she yelled and kicked him. "Asshole."

Gaara smirked when she sat down.

"Figures Gaara would have a chick that could fight," the blond muttered as they walked away.

"Didn't know you had it in you," Gaara said and smiled at her.

She shook her hand. "Fuck, that hurt!" she whispered harshly, cradling her red fist. "I wasn't going to just sit down and let you have all the fun."

He laughed.

"Um, Nanase?"

Nanase turned to the blond next to her. "Ino-chan!" she yelled and jumped up, wrapping the girl in a tight hug. "What's up?"

"What was that about?" Ino asked.

"That douche insulted me and my Pan-uh I mean, my friend," she said and gave him an apologetic smile.

"Boyfriend?"

"No, he's just my friend," she said and pointed to Gaara.

"Oh, okay," she replied. "Just so you know, the others think he's your boyfriend."

"So?" they replied.

Nanase grinned. "What do we care, we know the truth and we're just friends."

---------------------------------------

Sorry for making Naruto such as douche bag, he'll be different in upcoming chappies!


	5. Chapter Five

Disclaimer: I own only Nanase and her family and Mana and her groupies.

"Blah" - talking

_Blah_ - thinking

**_Blah _**- Gaara's mind person

Stuck in a Blizzard

Chapter Five:

Meeting Mana

---------------------------

A short sigh passed through Nanase's pink lips, her eyes drooping wearily as she sat in class. She yawned behind her hand and dropped her gaze to the blank notebook in front of her, frowning. She bit her lip as she picked up her pen and began to draw the name of everyone's favorite redhead in big, loopy letters. She smiled as she made hearts around it and a little doodle of a chibi Gaara, letting out a soft laugh.

"Something funny, Miss. Iwamura?" the premature-gray teacher asked.

She burned bright red. "Uh, n-no, Kakashi-sensei," she said and smiled nervously, snapping her notebook closed. She lowered her head until her chin was touching her chest and closed her eyes tightly, berating herself.

"Try not to disturb us again, unless you want to finish this sentence on the board?" he asked with a sly smirk.

She shook her head vigorously. "I'll behave."

Kakashi-sensei seemed be disappointed but shrugged and went back to teaching the class, facing the board.

Nanase inwardly sighed, slumping down in her seat.

"Psst."

She turned behind her and giggled when Ino waved at her, quickly slapping a hand over her mouth and turning around. She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned slightly, taking the note that was being handed to her.

_Hey Wonderland girl!_

_Want to go to the mall with me later? A few of my other friends are coming to so it would be great for you to be there._

_Your bestest buddy._

She turned and nodded, slipping the note under her binder and focusing her attention on the window. She saw the gym class on the track and smiled when she spotted a familiar redhead stretching, her stomach filling with butterflies. She quickly collected her things when the bell rang and ran out of the room, unknowing of Ino at her heels. She ran to the track, situating herself on the bleachers while trying to catch her breath.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Ino asked.

"It's free period and I wanted to watch the track team," she replied.

"Or is it a certain gorgey redhead?" Ino asked slyly.

Nanase colored. "No!"

"Yeah, okay."

"Ino!"

The two girls turned to see three girls heading in their direction, waving frantically.

"Hey, girlies!" Ino yelled with a smile.

"Watcha doin' out here?" a girl with brown buns asked.

"Yeah, Ino-pig?" the one with a pink ponytail added.

"Just sitting with my buddy Nanase," she replied, glaring at Nanase's snicker. "And you shut-up forehead girl."

The pink-haired girl frowned.

"Nanase, this is Tenten."

The girl with the buns smiled. "Hi."

"This is forehead-girl or Sakura."

The pink-haired girl frowned at Ino then grinned at Nanase. "Yo!"

"And this is Hinata."

The quiet girl with short black hair, waved shyly. "H-hi."

"Nice to meet everyone, I'm Nanase," she replied with a grin.

Ino elbowed Nanase. "There's your hubby," she grinned. "He's running next."

"Gaara?" Tenten asked, bewildered. "Is he your boyfriend?"

"No!" she yelled. "He's just my friend."

Sakura grinned. "Yeah, sure!"

Nanase crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. "Seriously, guys, he's only a friend."

"He's like the captain of everything," Tenten said.

"Yeah," Sakura added, counting off her fingertips. "Track, kendo, karate, soccer."

"A-and h-he rules d-dentention," Hinata said softly.

"Wow, I didn't know he was that athletic," she said softly, then grinned. "I knew he was a badboy, though."

"And one of the most gorgeous guys in the school," Sakura said. "Along with Sasuke and Neji."

Hinata colored. "Nii-san's n-not that c-cute," she said.

"The hell he's not!" Sakura yelled. "Have you seen him in karate when he takes his shirt off? I just want to, ooh!"

Tenten frowned. "Don't talk about my hubby like that!" she yelled and slapped the back of the girl's head.

Sakura grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head. "You know I'm in love with Sasuke," she said.

"Yes, but, forehead-girl," Ino began, "Sasuke will be mine."

"In your dreams!"

The remaining girls sweatdropped as the two argued.

"So, Nanase," Tenten said, "you like it here?"

"It's okay," she said with a smile turning her head to watch Gaara run his laps.

"You like him, don't you?" Tenten asked.

Nanase blushed.

"It's obvious, you have the 'I'm in love' look," she grinned. "Right, Hina-chan?"

Hinata nodded with a smile.

"Yeah, Nani, you're totally in love with that guy," Sakura grinned.

"I have to agree with her," Ino said, nodding her head in agreement.

Nanase blushed deeper, pressing her fingertips together. "It's that obvious?"

"Totally."

She sighed and rested her chin in the palm of her hand.

"You have competition, though."

"What do you mean, Ten-chan?" she asked.

Tenten pointed to a group of about ten girls. "You see them?" she asked, waiting until Nanase nodded. "They're obsessed with Gaara, that's his fanclub. And you see the one with the brown hair? She's a senior out to capture his heart even if he's two years younger then her. Her name is Mana and she is in love with him too."

Nanase watched the tall brunette who sat on the bench inside the large fence, smiling as Gaara ran by her. She watched as Mana's head turned and her green eyes locked with her caramel ones, a frown on her lips. The green eyes hardened into a glare and she raised her finger, running across her neck as her lips set into a straight line.

"And apparently, she doesn't like you to much," Sakura said. "It must be because of the ramen shop incident, Naruto told everyone you were Gaara's girlfriend."

Nanase looked at Sakura with a worried gaze.

"Ut oh, trouble," Tenten said.

"M-Mana's c-coming over h-here," Hinata said, her eyes widening.

Nanase turned, and sure enough, Mana and her groupies were walking over to them. Everything seemed to stop as everyone's eyes watched the group of girls walking across the track. Gaara stopped running and sheilding his eyes from the sun with his hand, his mouth setting into a line.

"You're Iwamura, right?" Mana asked with soft voice, the wind playing with her brown locks.

Nanase nodded.

"You're 'friends' with Gaara-kun, right?"

Another nod.

"Stay away from him," she said, her pretty eyes narrowing. "He's mine."

That's when Nanase got angry.

"Excuse me?' she asked, standing on the bottom step of the bleachers, staring down at the girl. "He's not property and I'll hang out with him if I want to, you don't control me or him."

"You just got here so you don't understand the rules," she said slowly, as if speaking to someone slow, "that's understandalbe." She turned her gaze to the girls around Nanase, making them flinch. "But somebody better teach them to her."

"Leave them alone," Nanase said, her eyes narrowing.

"Don't make me tell you again."

With that she turned on her heel and walked back to her spot on the track, her groupies following behind her.

"How could you guys just sit there?" she asked.

"Hey, Mana's weird," Tenten said.

"Yeah, some other girl tried to mess with Gaara and Mana warned her to," Sakura said, "next thing you know, she was in the hospital."

"Well, she doesn't scare me," she said, sitting back down. "I'm not going to let her keep me from what wasn't hers in the first place."

------------------------------------

Nanase had just left lunch when she rounded the corner, stopping short when she heard Mana's voice.

"Gaara, when can we go public with this?" Mana asked.

"We just started dating a few days ago, let's keep it low a little longer," she heard Gaara's deep baritone say.

Tears sprung to her eyes and she peeked around the corner in time to see Gaara claim the older girls' lips with his own. She held back a sob and turned on her heel, running down the hallway as fast as she could. She slid to a stop in front of the stairs to the roof, tears falling freely down her cheeks. She walked up the stairs and held onto the railing for support, falling to her knees at the top. She walked over to the ledge and sat on the ground in front of it, pulling her knees up to her chest. She pulled the sleeve of her shirt down and traced her finger over the fading scars on her wrist. _Please, Kami, don't let me fall back into depression_, she thought while falling onto her back. She quickly wiped the tears away when she heard someone coming up the stairs, sitting up to see Gaara.

"Oh, Nanase," he said softly, walking over to her. "Have you been crying?"

She glared up at him and stood, walking over to the other side of the roof.

"Nanase?"

"What the hell do you care if I have been crying?" she asked.

"Come on now, I'm your Panda-chan," he said with a small smile. "I'm supposed to care, right?"

She gave out a cruel bark of laughter. "Yeah, whatever," she said viciously. "Now, all of a sudden, you want to be my Panda-chan."

"What's wrong with you?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

"What wrong with me!" she screamed, incredulously. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing's wrong with me!" he yelled back, frowning.

"Why do you care all of a sudden?" she asked, wiping at the tears that dripped off her chin. "You didn't seem to think of me when you were kissing Mana, did you?"

"That's what this is about?" he asked. "Mana?"

"Yes, that's what this is about!" she yelled.

"Nanase! You're not my girlfriend!" he yelled.

Nanase's eyes widened and she lowered her gaze to the ground, her eyes hidden by her bangs. "I know."

"Than why do you care?"

"Because."

"Because isn't an answer," he said. "Because why?"

"Because I love you!" she screamed. "I love you okay! I've been trying to deal with it and I can't so now you know."

Gaara was speechless.

"I don't want to be your friend anymore," she said softly. "Because when you truly love someone, you can't just be their friend."

"Nanase..."

She sniffled softly and ran from him, grabbing her bookbag and heading back down the stairs. She ran until she was on the school steps, fumbling around with her bookbag, pulling out her cellphone. She quickly dialed a number and placed the phone to her ear, shifting impatiently. "Come on, dad," she whispered. "Daddy?"

"Yes, Nanase, what's wrong?" he asked.

Nanase wiped at the tears falling down her face and sniffled. "Come get me, daddy."

"Nanase?"

"Daddy, please, just come get me!" she yelled.

"Honey, I can't, I'm at work," he said. "We'll talk about it when I come pick you up."

"Daddy, no!" she said.

"I'll see you when I get there," he replied. "Bye."

"Daddy!" she yelled, throwing the phone on the ground when he hung up. She dropped to her knees and sobbed into her hands, her eyes catching the silver bracelet on her arm. Her dad had given it to her on her sixth birthday as a necklace but it was to small so she wore it as a bracelet. She ripped it off her arm and threw it on the ground, reaching for her phone a dialing another number. "Mom!"

"Hi, you've reached Chiharu Iwamura. I'm not in at the moment-"

Nanase clutched the phone in her hands and pressed them to her forehead, sobbing into her knees. She began rocking her body back and forth, sobbing as she did so. "Why?" she asked in a strangled voice. "Why Kami? Why? _Why_?"

-----------------------------------------------------

Rather deep, don't cha think? Well, gimme the reviews and let me know how much I rock or suck.


	6. Chapter Six

Disclaimer: I only own Nanase and her family and Mana and her groupies.

"Blah" - talking

_Blah_ - thinking

**_Blah_** - Gaara's mind person

Stuck in a Blizzard

Chapter Six:

Meeting Someone New

--------------------------------------

Nanase walked down the sidewalk, holding her bookbag loosely in one hand and clutching her cellphone in the other. She walked into the park and sat down on a bench, her long hair blowing in the wind and making the bells tinkle. She stared at the ducks walking by her with sad, puffy eyes, sniffling every so often. She pulled her now dirty bookbag onto her lap and shoved her cellphone into it, angrily.

The ducks seemed to stare at her oddly, cocking their heads to the side and watching her. She turned her head to them and watched them waddle away, back into the water and far from her side. She pulled her legs under her and played with the hem of her skirt, her fingers numb from the cold.

"Shouldn't you be in school?"

She looked up to see a man with black hair, hanging into his eyes and kicking out in the back. "What's it matter?" she asked. "No one wants me."

"A pretty thing like yourself?" he asked.

"I'm not pretty," she said softly. "I'm ugly."

"Far from it," he said and hopped over the bench and sat next to her.

"You look familiar," she said softly.

"Maybe you know my brother, Sasuke," he replied.

"He goes to my school."

"Thought so, the uniform looks familiar," he said, his lips lifting up in a smile. "So, why so down?"

She looked down at her hands, sliding her legs off the bench and letting her feet hit the ground. "I-I fell in love with this boy," she began, the tears welling up in her eyes, "we spent time together during the blizzard because he got snowed in at my house. I thought he was cool and I liked a lot of things about him, I thought he might've felt the same. I was wrong, dead wrong. We come back to school and everything changes. I caught him today kissing this girl named Mana, his girlfriend. I felt like an idiot."

"So it's boy trouble?" he asked.

She nodded. "But that's not even the worst part. I go onto the roof and here he comes, actually having the nerve to sit next to me. I get mad at him and tell him that I saw him kissing Mana and he gets loud, yelling that I'm not his girlfriend. I no I'm not his girlfriend, but it really hurt that he would just toss aside my feelings like that. I told him that I couldn't be his friend anymore because when you love someone you can't just be there friend. Was I wrong to do that?"

He shook his head. "You were right, because that's the truth."

She gave him a sad smile and looked back to her hands. "I tried to call my dad to pick me up, but he's always to busy with work to care about me," she said bitterly. "I tried to call my mom and she didn't pick up, it seems the only ones she ever picks up for is my little sister, Sachi."

"So you feel neglected?" he asked.

She nodded. "Am I wrong for that?"

"No."

She broke into tears, covering her face with her hands as her cries turned into sobs. She threw her arms around his neck when he pulled her into his arms. "Look at me, sobbing all over you and I don't even know your name," she said with a slight laugh, looking up at his face.

He laughed. "I'm Uchiha Itachi."

"I'm Iwamura Nanase."

"Pretty name for an even prettier girl," he grinned.

"Hey, mister," she said and laughed. "They can lock you away for talking like that."

"Hey, I'm nineteen, I'm not to old yet," he said with a grin.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yep, do I look that old?" he asked.

"Those lines," she said and traced her finger down the crease under his eye. "You seem a lot older, but still cute."

"See, I've made you happier already," he grinned. "So, how old are you?"

"I can't believe you're hitting on a girl who just had her heart broken," she replied with a smile.

"Maybe, I can help repair it," he said softly, his fingers caressing her cheek.

"Maybe, you can," she whispered, lowering her eyes.

He smiled. "So, how old are you?"

She laughed. "I'm sixteen, but I'll be seventeen in six days!" she said.

He smiled. "Would you like to go out for something to eat?"

She smiled, blushing a bit. "That would be very nice."

-----------------------------------------

Aki Iwamura was not happy. He waited at the school for half an hour and still Nanase hadn't come out. He was getting anxious and feeling guilty for having being so neglecting earlier that day. He turned his car on and began to drive, picking up his cell phone and dialing his wife's number.

"Hello, honey," she said cheerfully.

"Chi-chan, we have a problem," he said grimly.

"What, honey, what's wrong?" she asked. "Something at work."

"No, it's Nanase."

"What's wrong with her?" Chiharu's voice was growing panicked. "She called me earlier but I didn't pick up."

"She's not at the school," he said.

"I'll call Gaara to see if she's with him, okay?" she asked.

"Alright, call me back," he said and hung up the phone, looking around for any signs of where his daughter have went. He sighed softly as he stopped at a red light, massaging his temples as a migraine formed. "Where have you gone, Nanase?"

He was startled when he phone began ringing and picked it up, flipping it open. "Yes?" he asked, driving when the light turned green.

"I called Gaara and he said they had some fight earlier and she was really upset," Chiharu said, tears evident in her voice. "I called Ino as well, she's not with her."

"Shit," he cursed and turned around a corner.

"It's our fault," she whispered. "We were to neglecting, weren't we?"

"I believe we were, Chi-chan," he said softly. "I feel so bad. She called me, crying hysterically, earlier and told me to come pick her up. I told her to just wait for me to pick her up after school."

"You did what?" Chiharu screeched. "Why wouldn't you pick her up if she's crying hysterically?"

"I figured it was something trivial," he said. "You know how young girls are."

"Not our young girl," Chiharu said angrily. "How could you have been so stupid?"

"What?" he asked enraged. "You didn't even pick up when she called. How do you know this isn't your fault?"

"My fault!" she yelled. "This is your fault, if you had just picked her up we wouldn't be in this damn mess! You know she has depression problems, some father you are!"

"Some mother you are!" he yelled in return. "I'm hanging up because you're going to get me into an accident."

"Fine, hang up. You're not a ma-"

He threw his phone into the passengers seat, angrily glaring at the road. He picked up the phone when he rang again, and gurdgingly flipped it open. "What?"

"Daddy?"

His tone softened. "Honey, where are you?" he asked. "I'm so sorry."

"Dad, I'm fine," she said. "Don't worry about me."

"Honey, just tell me where you are," he said.

"Go home," she said. "I'll be home very soon."

He sighed and flipped the phone shut, making a U-turn and heading in the direction of his home.

--------------------------------

Gaara paced back and forth in his kitchen, his hands behind his back as he glanced over at his cellphone. "Damn it, Nanase," he whispered harshly. "Why do you have to be so fucking emotional?"

"Gaara, you keep pacing like that you'll make a hole in the floor," Temari said from her seat at the table. "Please sit down, your friend will be all right."

He sighed. "She's in love with me," he said.

Temari's eyes widened.

"And I shot her down like nothing," he said.

"Gaara," she said softly.

"I said yes to Mana hoping it would help me get over Nanase," he said. "She deserve so much more then me."

"Gaara, stop!" Temari yelled, getting to her feet. "You put yourself down all the time. She just wants to love you and if you love her, let it work. Let her love you and give in to your feelings, return them to her. Do you love her?"

"Yes."

"Then show her," she said softly. "There is nothing wrong with you. Uncle Yashamaru wasn't your fault so stop blaming yourself and get over it. Mom would've wanted you to, because I know she loved you. There is nothing wrong with you."

Gaara stared, wide-eyed, at his sister.

"Go find her."

He nodded, a smile slipping onto his lips. "Thank you, Nee-chan," he said, giving her a breif hug before running out the door and grabbing the keys to his brothers car. He drove to the place he knew she'd be. The park.

He got out of the car and walked over to where he saw her on a bench, his eyes widened. He glared at the man that sat next to _his_ Nanase, stomping up to them and pushing the guy.

Nanase gasped and turned to look at Gaara. "Gaara?"

"This is the guy that hurt you?" Itachi asked. "So now you're jealous?"

Gaara didn't respond, just punched the man square in his jaw. "Stay away from her!" he yelled and pounced on the man, throwing punch after punch.

"Gaara, no!" Nanase screamed. "Gaara! Stop! Gaara, please, stop!"

He stopped and climbed off the guy at Nanase's frantic cries, turning to see tears dripping down her cheeks. He looked at the ground, ashamed of his behavior. "Nanase, I-"

"Just go away, Gaara," she said and helped Itachi up. "Just go."

"Nanase..."

"Go!" she screamed, glaring at him.

Gaara frowned. "Fine."

Nanase watched him walk away, turning towards Itachi when she felt his fingertips wipe away her tears. She smiled up at him and sniffled lightly, helping brush the dirt off of him. "I'm sorry about that," she said. "I don't know why he attacked you."

"Don't worry about it," he replied with a grin. "Wanna go grab that food now?"

"Yeah," she replied. "Yeah, I'd like that."

---------------------------------------------

Sorry it's so short, but what do ya think? New drama involved, right? Eh, like the Itachi bit? Come on, I'm desperate for feedback. Gimme what I want, please!


	7. Chapter Seven

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I only own Nanase and her family and Mana and her groupies.

"Blah" - talking

_Blah _- thinking

**_Blah _**- Gaara's mind person

Stuck in a Blizzard

Chapter Seven

-------------------------

Gaara stared at his ceiling, his mind jumbled with thoughts. He hated himself at the moment, everything was his fault. Maybe if her had told her at the park how he felt, she might've been with him now instead of that Uchiha jackass. He sighed and draped an arm over his face, glaring when his sister entered into his room.

"Gaara, you can't mope forever," she said softly. "You barely even gave it a try and now your laying here in a rut."

"Go away, Temari," he said coldly.

"Gaara, today is her birthday, right?" she asked.

He nodded.

"Then get her a gift to show her you're sorry," she said. "Not just a necklace or flowers or whatever. Give her something that comes from your heart, something that'll mean something to her."

"Temari, she won't speak to me," he said. "She's probably dating that asshole now."

"So, you can still win her back," she said. "Just try."

_It'll never work, she hates me_, he thought.

**_Yeah, you really made an ass of yourself now._**

_Fuck, you're back._

_**In the flesh - er - mind. He he he.**_

_Not funny._

_**Oh, come on, don't be a baby. Get over her and get that Mana chick to give you some.**_

_I don't want Mana._

_**Aw, wittle baby wants his Nanase.**_

_I fucking hate you._

_**As you've said before.**_

"Gaara!"

He looked up at his sister. "What?"

"Were you listening?"

"Not really," he replied.

She sighed. "Just get her something special."

Gaara sighed and thought for a moment, his eyes widened and he smiled. "I've got it!"

--------------------------------

Nanase sighed as she walked out of the kitchen from her birthday breakfast, things had returned to normal. Her parents had stopped arguing and her little sister was just as bratty as ever and she, well she was still hurt. Even though she seemed happy when she was with Itachi, she still hurt on the inside. She missed Gaara.

Her fingers played with the necklace Itachi had bought her for her birthday, a frown on her lips. She unclasped it and placed it on her dresser when she entered her room, laying on her bed. She turned on her side and was greeted to the sight of the pictures she and Gaara had taken. She took them from her nightstand and touched them lightly before dropping them on the floor.

"Nanase, come down here," her mother yelled.

She walked down the stairs and into the living room where her mother and father were waiting for her with a camera. She did poses for the pictures, a smile on her lips as Sachi got in some. Sometimes that girl could be cute.

"Here, booger face," she said and handed her a messily wrapped present.

Nanase smiled and unwrapped it, opening the plain box only to scream when a fake spider jumped at her. She growled as her little sister laughed and ran behind their parents.

Then there were times she could be an evil hell child. But Nanase still loved her, a laugh sounding from her lips.

"Cute one, Sachi," she said with a grin. "Wait till your birthday."

The doorbell rang and she ran to open it, seeing Ino and Hinata holding large, wrapped boxes in their arms. They grinned and walked into the house, placing the presents on the ground and flopping onto the couch.

"Nice digs, Nanase," Ino said looking around at the room.

"Yes, v-very n-nice," Hinata said softly. "I l-love the p-paintings."

"They're family heirlooms," Chiharu said.

"Yep, passed from generation to generation," Aki added.

"H-How ni-ice," Hinata said with a smile.

"Hey, you two are really pretty," Sachi said with a grin.

"Thank you, you little cutie," Ino said and grinned at her.

"Yes, you are adorable," Hinata agreed.

Nanase blinked, then smiled. "You guys wanna take her home with you?"

"She stays," Chiharu warned.

"I was only kidding mom," Nanase said with another grin, walking into the kitchen and bringing in a large cake. "Want some?"

"Yeah!"

"I-I'd l-like some."

"Me too, booger face!"

"Don't forget us, Nana-chan."

"I'll have tiny piece, sweetie."

Nanase laughed as she began to cut pieces and hand them out to everyone in the room when the doorbell rang again. She ran over to it and saw Sakura standing with a large box, her grin wide.

"Hey, Nani!" Sakura said and walked in, placing the box on the floor next to the others. "Ooh, cake, I'm starved."

Nanase was about to close the door when a hand held it open. "What the...?"

"Oh, yeah, those punks had something they wanted to say," Sakura said. "Right, Naruto?"

The blond from the ramen shop scratched the back of his head. "Hey, sorry about the things I said," he said with a frown, handing her a small box.

"Yeah, me too," the one with the triangles said. "I'm Kiba by the way."

"I apologize even though I have done nothing wrong," the one with the glasses said, "and I am Shino."

"Come on in," she said and held the door open. "And you are?"

"Neji, I'm Hinata's cousin," he said and gave her a slight bow. "Happy Birthday."

She took the box that he handed her and closed the door behind him, placing the box with the others. "This is great," she said with a smile, cutting herself a piece of cake. "Thanks you guys, for coming."

"Hey, it's no problem," Sakura said, "You're our friend and we get free cake with this."

Ino slapped her in the back of her head. "Don't say that, you idiot!"

"I-I expected t-that from N-Naruto-k-kun," Hinata giggled.

"Me too," Kiba said.

Another knock on the door.

"That must be Tenten," Ino said.

Nanase ran to the door and unlocked it, letting Tenten in.

"Whoo, it's freezing out there!" she said and placed the box with the others. "Ooh, gimme some cake!"

"You pig!" Naruto yelled only to be hit by Neji.

"Yeah, that's right, talk about me now," Tenten said before kissing Neji's cheek. "Thank you baby."

He blushed and gave her a nod. "You're welcome."

Nanase leaned over to Sakura. "You're right," she whispered. "He is smokin'."

"I would just tear him up if I could," she whispered back. "Mm, he is smexy."

Nanase giggled.

"You talking about _my_ Neji again, Sakura!" Tenten yelled and chased after the pink-haired girl with a fork.

"W-wow," Hinata whispered.

Nanase and Ino burst out laughing, clutching their stomachs.

"Sweetie, open your presents," Aki said.

Nanase wiped the tears from her eyes and nodded. "Hand 'em over."

"This is from me," Tenten said and placed a box on her lap.

Nanase tore the wrapping paper off and took the lid of the box off, gasping at what she saw. "Ten-chan, it's so pretty!" she said and pulled a beautiful, red kimono dress out of the box, holding it to her body. It had a black dragon from the bottom of the dress circling around it until it stopped where the head was on her chest. "I love it!"

"Open mine!" Sakura yelled and placed a large box on her lap, clapping giddily.

Nanase ripped the wrapping off similar to last time and lifted the top off, giggling while she pulled the large, gray teddy bear out. It had a velvet, green vest on and a black bowtie around its neck with a rose in its hand. "It's so cute, thank you Sakura."

"I thought you'd like it," she replied.

"N-now m-mine," Hinata said and placed her large box on the girl's lap.

"Ooh, it's heavy," she said and took the paper off to reveal a white box with a large picture of a boom box on it and bright blue letters. "Thank you, Hinata!"

"Here, my gift goes with hers," Neji said. "They told me you liked it."

She took the wrapping off to see several Nami Tamaki CD's stacked together and squealed. "I love Nami Tamaki!" she yelled and placed the CD's next to her.

"Here," Naruto said and gave her the tiny box.

She unwrapped it to see a velvet box, opening it to see beautiful ruby earrings. "They're beautiful, Naruto," she gasped and hugged him. "Thank you so much."

"My mom says to get girls earrings when you can't think of anything else," he said with a shrug.

She giggled. "Well, I love them."

"Here, me and Shino put our money together to get you a gift," Kiba said and placed a long box on her lap.

She unwrapped it and opened the box, gasping when she saw a beautiful painting of her name in Japanese. "Thank you," she said and held it up, examining the beautifully painted letters closely. "I love it, thank you."

They smiled.

"Mom?" she said as she saw her mom plugging the boom box in.

"Well, what's a party without music?" she replied, putting in one of the Nami Tamaki CD's.

"Now let's get this party started right!" Naruto yelled, pulling Sakura up. "Dance with me, pretty lady."

"Hey, who can argue with that?" she asked and began to sway to the music.

Hinata blushed when Kiba pulled her up.

"Yay!" Tenten yelled and began to dance with Neji.

"Come on, Shino, dance with me and Ino," Nanase said and pulled the two up, swaying to the beat.

The doorbell rang and Nanase walked over to it, pulling it open and looking at an empty doorway. She looked down and gasped when she saw a stuffed panda bear with a folded note in its arms. She picked it up and smiled, opening the note and picking up the ring that fell out. She blushed as she read the note.

_I want to talk to you, meet me in front of the school on Monday at 6:00. Please come, it's important._

She looked around and saw a redhead walking down the sidewalk not to far away, biting her lip. "I'll be there, Gaara," she whispered hoping that somehow he's heard her.

-------------------------------

Nanase walked towards her bed after she placed all her gifts away, stooping down to pick up her pictures. She placed them on her dresser and smiled, a blush spreading across her cheeks as she thought about what he might have to tell her. _I hope it's want I want him to say_, she thought before settling down to go to bed.

---------------------------------------------

Finally! A new chapter. Well, gimme some feedback.

Yoko Touma


	8. Chapter Eight

Disclaimer: I only own Nanase and her family and Mana and her groupies.

"Blah" - talking

_Blah_ - thinking

**_Blah_** - Gaara's mind person.

Stuck in a Blizzard

Chapter Eight

------------------------------

Nanase ran her fingers through her hair as she walked down the sidewalk, briskly. She was nervous to say the least, it had been days since she last talked to Gaara and they had left on bad terms. She bit her lip as she played with the ring on her finger, the wind blowing her hair behind her. "Man," she whispered as the school came in sight, her breathing becoming faster when a certain redhead came in sight. She stopped when she was a few feet away from him, twiddling her fingers in front of her.

"I'm glad you came," he said softly.

She raised her eyes to his face, a blush spreading across her cheeks. His looks never ceased to amaze her and she was left staring in awe once more as the wind blew his striking hair into his eyes, obscuring his tattoo from view. "W-what did you want to talk about?" she asked, lowering her gaze once again while trying to get a grip on her control.

"Nanase," he said as he walked towards her, gripping her chin with his fingers, "look at me."

Once she looked up her resolve faded and she was lost in his turquoise eyes, her mouth agape. "G-Gaara," she whispered, her fingers trembled as they wrapped themselves around his hand.

"I needed to talk to you about the things that have gone on recently," he said, trying his best to sound calm. "The Mana situation and that Itachi situation."

"Gaara, Itachi is nothing to me but a friend," she said, her gaze softening. "He was someone I could talk to when I felt like no one else would listen."

"So, you're not involved with him?" he asked, letting his hand fall to his side.

"I was never with him," she said, grabbing his hand once again in hers. "The only person I could think about was you."

"That was the same with Mana and I," he replied. "Nanase, I...I...this is hard for me."

"Just tell me."

"I...I love you," he whispered. "I thought you deserved better then me but the thought of you with anyone but me makes me angry. I realized I can't just let you go and I don't want to let you go."

Nanase's eyes went wide. "I don't want you to let me go," she whispered as she threw her arms around his midsection. "Please, don't ever let me go."

Gaara let his arms wrap around her, resting his chin atop her head with a small smile of contentment. "I guess what I'm trying to ask is," he said, "will you...will you be my...girlfriend?"

She smiled up at him. "I thought you'd never ask," she whispered, raising herself to her tiptoes and catching his lips with hers. She whimpered into the kiss and tightened her grip on him, gasping when his hands pushed into her sides. He took this chance to slip his tongue into her mouth hungrily, taking in every bit of her taste. She smiled slightly and slid her arms from behind his back to around his neck, pulling him down. After a few more minutes, she broke away for air and smiled at him.

"Come on, we don't need to breathe," he whispered, a smirk on his lips.

"You might not, but I do," she giggled, blushing when he pulled her closer. "School's starting soon."

"So?"

She sighed. "People know you as Gaara, Mana's boyfriend."

"No, they know me as Gaara, free man," he replied. "I broke up with Mana a few days ago at the ramen shop."

"Everyone saw?"

"Yep," he replied. "Now, I can be with you."

She smiled and laid her head on his shoulder. "Good."

"Come on, let's go to the roof until school starts," he said and took her hand, walking into the school. They walked through the hallway and up the stairs onto the roof, sitting down against the wall. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she laid her head on his shoulder, her arms around his waist.

"This is nice," she murmured softly.

He nodded.

"I'm glad you asked me to be your girlfriend," she said with a smile, snuggling deeper into his arms. "I...I thought that you never would...I thought we would never be together, Panda-chan."

He smiled at the old nickname. "It's been so long since you've called me that."

She smiled. "It has, hasn't it?"

"I guess I kind of missed it," he replied.

She giggled. "See, it grew on you."

He chuckled softly. "I guess it did."

"Buses are pulling up," she said and stood, picking up her book bag. "Come on, let's get to class."

He nodded and stood beside her, grabbing her hand in his. They walked down from the roof and through the crowded halls. He kissed her cheek when they reached her homeroom, standing outside the door. "Come see me at track practice during your free period," he whispered in her ear.

"Definitely," she replied and watched him walk away, a smile on her lips. She walked into her homeroom and sat down at her desk, a goofy grin on her lips as she rested her chin in the palm of her hand.

"Hey, dopey."

She looked up at Sakura and smiled even more. "Yo, Sakura-chan."

"W-Why a-a-are you s-so h-happy?" Hinata asked, her pale eyes curious.

"Gaara asked me to be his girlfriend," she replied.

"No way!" Tenten yelled from the other side of the room, pulling Neji over to the girls with her. "He did what?"

"Asked me to be his girlfriend," she replied while biting her lip.

"That's why you two were together coming down from the roof," Ino said with a sly smile. "What were you guys doing?"

She blushed. "Nothing like that, we were just waiting for school to start."

"Yeah, sure," Sakura replied as Hinata giggled.

"More good news," Tenten said. "Hinata's got a boyfriend!"

Hinata blushed.

"Really, Hina-chan, who?" Nanase asked.

"Yah, who?" Ino chimed.

Hinata poked her fingers together as two arms wrapped around her waist and a chin was placed on her shoulder.

"Me."

"Kiba!" Nanase and Ino yelled in unison.

"Aw," Sakura said. "But you could've picked someone more interesting."

Kiba frowned. "Shut up, forehead-girl!"

"What?" she yelled. "You shut up!"

Hinata sweat dropped as Kiba argued over her shoulder.

Nanase giggled along with Ino and Tenten at the comical display, that is, until the teacher walked in.

"Hey!" Anko-sensei said. "Sit your lazy butts in a chair and shut up!"

Everyone immediately sat down.

"Good," she said with a wolfish grin. "Now, let's get to work."

----------------------------

Nanase sat on the bench as she watched Gaara run around the track, holding his water bottle loosely in her hands. She smiled at him, her cheeks coloring a slight pink.

"Well, well," a voice said behind her. "If it isn't the bitch."

She turned around to see a furious Mana glaring at her. "Go away."

Mana growled and lunged at her, knocking her and the bench over. They rolled around on the ground before Mana ended up on top and began to choke her.

"Hey, cut it out!" Sakura yelled and ran over with the other girls. Mana's groupies stood in their way and it turned into an all out war.

"Get off me, you stupid bitch!" Tenten yelled while punching some girl in the face.

Ino was smacked by a short girl before tackling her to the ground and bitch slapping her several times. "Stupid whore, don't you ever mess with me!" she yelled between smacks, a glare on her face.

Hinata grabbed Mana and began to pull her off until two big girls pushed her to the ground. Tenten jumped in it and helped Hinata to fight the girls off, throwing them both to the ground and punching them.

Nanase gasped for breath as she clawed at Mana's hands, slowly losing consciousness. She screamed when Mana had begun to slam her head into the ground, her world turning black as she passed out.

"Get off her!" Gaara yelled and pulled Mana off Nanase. "What is wrong with you?"

"You're supposed to be with me!" she yelled, tears in her eyes.

"Get over it," he said and picked the unconscious girl up and running into the school. He burst into the nurse's office and placed her on the bed in the corner. The nurse came running over and examined her before calling the hospital.

"What happened, young man?" the nurse asked, while placing a towel against Nanase's bleeding head.

"She got into a fight with Shinohara Mana and it turned ugly," he said, giving her the abridged version. "Will she be okay?"

The nurse sighed. "I'm not sure."

Gaara waited with Nanase and rode with her to the hospital when the ambulance came. He sat in a chair beside her bed, holding her hand loosely when her parents came in.

"Oh my god!" Chiharu said.

"My little girl," Aki said softly, while holding Chiharu in his arms.

"Is sis gonna be okay?" Sachi asked Gaara.

Gaara nodded. "The doctors say she's in a light coma and should come to within a few days."

Chiharu wiped her tears. "The school said she got into a fight," she said softly. "Nanase never fights."

"It was my fault," he said. "My ex-girlfriend fought her because of me."

Aki frowned. "You're Gaara, right?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"Look, it's nothing personal," he said, "but I don't think you should see Nanase anymore. Nanase has depression problems and she can't take to much pressure, I feel that you're endangering her."

Gaara was made for a moment before he sighed. "I...I never meant for any of this to happen," he said while caressing her hand with his thumb. "What do you mean she has depression issues?"

Chiharu sighed. "When she was younger, her and her older brother always fought," she said. "Well, one day, they got into a serious fight and Nanase pushed him into the street. He got hit by a car and was in a coma for two years. Nanase fell into depression; she didn't eat or sleep all she did was stare at the wall."

"She finally snapped out of it when he awoke from the coma and told her he forgave her," Aki said. "Her therapist says she can fall back into depression at any time and it only takes a little push. Not to be rude, but ever since you came into her life, things have been hectic and we don't want to see our daughter that way anymore."

Gaara looked down at Nanase. "Gomen," he said softly.

"If you truly love her," Chiharu said, "you'll leave her alone."

Gaara stood abruptly. "Fine."

They watched him leave the room and walk down the hallway.

"Do you think we did the right thing?" Chiharu asked.

"Of course, it's for our daughter's well-being," he replied.

"Yes, your right," she said, a smile on her lips.

He watched as she walked over to Nanase and took hold of her hand.

"We just want to protect you sweetheart," she whispered. _Have we made a mistake?_

Sachi watched her parents with confused eyes. _Why'd Gaara-san leave? Is he ever gonna come back? Wake up soon, sis, so you can fix whatever mom and dad have done. Please._

_---------------------------------------------------------_

Hope you enjoyed. Tell me what you think.

Yoko Touma


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